An High Priest of Good Things To Come

This week’s Come, Follow Me lesson includes the famous declaration from Paul that Christ is “an high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 9:11). Elder Holland gave a talk with the same name in 1999 that I have listened to countless times over the years. As I reviewed it again this morning, I was struck with the power of the many scriptures that he referenced, verses filled with the hope and assurance of the Savior. He quoted these words of Moroni: “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4). If we truly believe in God, we can know that despite the troubles we face in the present there is a better world ahead. That is a truth that Moroni and Ether must have clung to as they watched the destruction of their entire civilizations. Elder Holland continued, “There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the ‘light that is endless, that can never be darkened.’” Those were words that Abinadi spoke shortly before he was killed for his testimony of the Son of God, and surely they gave him hope in a future resurrection despite the suffering he was passing through: “He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death” (Mosiah 16:9). Elder Holland further declared, “Cling to your faith. Hold on to your hope. ‘Pray always, and be believing.’” That invitation was given in this powerful promise from the Lord in our dispensation: “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another” (Doctrine and Covenants 90:24). We sometimes tell each other in the face of a difficult situation, “everything will work out.” That is indeed a scriptural promise if we follow the prescription above to pray, believe, and walk uprightly before God. Then all things will work together for our good.

                Elder Holland quoted several other passages from the Old and New Testament which similarly give us hope in the promises of the Lord. I love this description of Paul concerning Abraham: “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Romans 4:18, 20-21). Abraham believed that God could fulfill His promises even when there seemed no way for them to come to pass. When he was sure that he and Sara had no chance of having children, Abraham still believed in God’s promise of an endless posterity. Elder Holland encouraged us to remember that the Savior who could calm the sea also can calm our storms: “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). He linked this ancient story with the Savior’s modern reassurance: “Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:16). This is similar to what the Savior told His disciples at the Last Supper: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). I love Elder Holland’s commentary on this invitation to be of good cheer: “Such counsel is not a jaunty pep talk about the power of positive thinking, though positive thinking is much needed in the world. No, Christ knows better than all others that the trials of life can be very deep and we are not shallow people if we struggle with them. But even as the Lord avoids sugary rhetoric, He rebukes faithlessness and He deplores pessimism. He expects us to believe!” He also quoted these words of the Savior from that same final evening: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Elder Holland continued, “How could He do this? How could He believe it? Because He knows that for the faithful, things will be made right soon enough. He is a King; He speaks for the crown; He knows what can be promised. He knows that ‘the Lord … will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. … For the needy shall not alway[s] be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.’ He knows that ‘the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.’” Elder Holland’s powerful testimony and these penetrating passages of holy writ testify together of the Savior’s power to help and strengthen and save us no matter what the challenges we face in this life. Despite the present difficulties, we can indeed trust in “an high priest of good things to come” for all who believe.